As a former teacher I believe strongly in the notion that knowledge is power. The more information I can offer to my clients, the more empowered they will feel and the more fortified they will be when entering a real estate transaction!! Working with my clients and FOR my clients in the most seamless, insightful, proactive manner possible is always my main goal. Along those lines I am posting for you the common ABCs of real estate. Once a teacher, always a teacher I do say!!! Please do reach out to me if I can be of any assistance with real estate endeavors here in RI or Ma! I truly love to be of help to my clients!

Mott & Chace Sotheby International Realty’s December Market Report is featured below. I hope you find the reports informative and please reach out to me if I can be of any assistance with purchasing or listing pursuits this spring! I truly love what I do and find representing and advocating for my clients to be the most rewarding and most prized part of being a Realtor!

Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International Realty is pleased to release the Rhode Island real estate single family home statistics for December 2017 which continues to show an increasing demand for well-priced homes in the marketplace. The median home price for new listings increased 13.5%, while the supply of inventory decreased from 6.7 months to 3.3 months when compared to the same time period last year. Additionally, the average days on market decreased 19.5% in December 2017 when compared to last year. The economic indicators for real estate (low mortgage rates, low unemployment rates, inventory shortage and rising costs of rent) suggest gains will continue at least in the short term. The 13.5% increase in median home price for new listings coupled with a 3.3 months supply of inventory add credence to this trend. The economic signs that affect real estate continue to be positive. The financial markets had another record breaking year. Jobless claims are the lowest since 1973; consumer confidence rose to a 17-year high and the world economy had its best year since the financial crisis of 2008.

Major tax legislation passed in late December benefits corporations and is forecasted to help fuel the bull market yet another year. For homeowners, tax reform reduces the amount of property tax that can be deducted, increasing the after-tax cost of homeownership in higher price points. Buyers’ purchasing power is reduced as well, with the impact greatest in the luxury market. We anticipate that declining purchasing power will exert pressure on luxury inventory to offset the new math of tax reform.

We are monitoring the markets closely since the legislation passed and so far, buyer behavior appears unchanged. Properties are going under contract, transactions are going to closing and showings, a leading indicator of future pended sales, are remaining steady. The surging equity markets and growing portfolios have created an unprecedented wealth effect. However, post-recession buyers are disciplined, cautious and informed. They want a fair price that can be justified.

We wil continue to monitor market activity through the first quarter. In the interim, our job remains the same – to give buyers and sellers the tools to make an informed real estate decision. Tax changes are nuanced and tax planning is different for everyone. There is no “one size fits all” and your tax advisor can provide comprehensive guidance.

Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International Realty is pleased to release the Rhode Island real estate single family home statistics for December 2017 which continues to show an increasing demand for well-priced homes in the marketplace. The median home price for new listings increased 13.5%, while the supply of inventory decreased from 6.7 months to 3.3 months when compared to the same time period last year. Additionally, the average days on market decreased 19.5% in December 2017 when compared to last year. The economic indicators for real estate (low mortgage rates, low unemployment rates, inventory shortage and rising costs of rent) suggest gains will continue at least in the short term. The 13.5% increase in median home price for new listings coupled with a 3.3 months supply of inventory add credence to this trend. The economic signs that affect real estate continue to be positive. The financial markets had another record breaking year. Jobless claims are the lowest since 1973; consumer confidence rose to a 17-year high and the world economy had its best year since the financial crisis of 2008.

Major tax legislation passed in late December benefits corporations and is forecasted to help fuel the bull market yet another year. For homeowners, tax reform reduces the amount of property tax that can be deducted, increasing the after-tax cost of homeownership in higher price points. Buyers’ purchasing power is reduced as well, with the impact greatest in the luxury market. We anticipate that declining purchasing power will exert pressure on luxury inventory to offset the new math of tax reform.

We are monitoring the markets closely since the legislation passed and so far, buyer behavior appears unchanged. Properties are going under contract, transactions are going to closing and showings, a leading indicator of future pended sales, are remaining steady. The surging equity markets and growing portfolios have created an unprecedented wealth effect. However, post-recession buyers are disciplined, cautious and informed. They want a fair price that can be justified.

We wil continue to monitor market activity through the first quarter. In the interim, our job remains the same – to give buyers and sellers the tools to make an informed real estate decision. Tax changes are nuanced and tax planning is different for everyone. There is no “one size fits all” and your tax advisor can provide comprehensive guidance.

Another great article below reiterating how 2018 is a great year to list a home. With rates still low and expected to increase to still relatively low levels (4.5 by years end) , consumer confidence up, wage growth nationwide on an upswing and local inventory remaining tight,  this year is shaping up to be a strong year to sell. With millenials continuing to make their “financial ” mark in our local and national economy and slowly clicking into purchasing mode in suburbs AND in the urban markets, the buyer pool will continue to expand.  A new “urban suburban” niche is in fact being noted by several real estate experts indicating the trend for millenials to seek living in areas featuring amenities yet also with easy access to the cities. Many of our suburbs here in RI feature just that and are likely to attract the ever resurging millenial generation. 62% of millenials surveyed by Nielsen in fact said they prefer to live in the type of “mixed-use ” communities found in close proximity to urban centers where they can be close to shops, restaurants and cities.  This statistic behooves many homeowners living in areas just outside of PVD! If you are thinking about selling a home in RI or MA in 2018 please reach out to me so we can talk about all the real estate opportunities awaiting you ! I truly love what I do and am eager to help!

https://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/reasons-to-sell-your-home-in-2018/?identityID=57c36008e5c103660c00143e&MID=2018_0112_WeeklyNL&RID=4171415682&cid=eml-2018-0112-WeeklyNL-blog_1_reasonstosellin2018-blogs_trends

Thinking it’s “gotta be granite ?” Not anymore ! Granite has actually been falling out of favor for the past three years.  What has replaced it is engineered quartz . Other key features in 2018 kitchens are ample work stations , clean , clutter free countertops , appliance stations and maximal storage and organization.  Now more than ever consumers are seeking kitchen spaces that not only serve to feed and entertain but operate as functional work and play spaces .  That’s a heavy check list for kitchens of today but the options and price points to enable it to happen are varied and wide . Kitchen remodels are offered by a variety of design teams and contractors nationwide at all price points and with the amount of people seeking to remodel as opposed to move , this trend isn’t going away anytime soon .  Enjoy the read especially those of you seeking to sell  and who are planning  to do some house tweaking before you list ! As always I’d love to come to your property to talk about renovation ideas or pre sale “to dos” that will prove to be most lucrative when you choose to sell !

https://www.inman.com/2018/01/10/whats-hot-and-whats-not-in-2018-kitchen-trends/?utm_source=inbrief&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=inbrief&utm_content=20180110%2B%2BREADMORE%2B1

Winter Morning in Providence, RI

The quiet, the cold and the pretty down by the shipping district this morning in Providence, RI   There are many benefits to starting the work day early. It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. It’s productive.  For many of my clients the early morning is also their best time to connect and it’s amazing how many clients will text or email before the 6 am hour. The early morning time for me is used to set the day’s goals, to check the MLS, to check in with my clients AND to take stock of all the beauty around me. The quiet, the cold and the pretty…….

Reach out to me at any time at sarah.huard@mottandchace.com with any of your real estate needs and as always, take the time to take in the beauty that abounds here in the Ocean State!

Barrington real estate while frigid, exuding plenty of light and beauty…With a median estimated listing price of $409k, 3 new listings,10 pending and 10 recently sold the market continues to hum along steadily into the new year with what looks to be a very active market come early spring! With interest rates remaining low, consumer confidence high, prices escalating at a moderate rate and inventory opening up, the spring market looks to be one very robust one indeed! Please reach out to me if you’d like to look at real estate anywhere in RI or MA! I’d love to be of help. If you are looking to sell I’d love to come meet with you to talk about real estate opportunities for you in regard to your current home. I truly love what I do! Enjoy the beauty all around us, as depicted in these two shots taken tonight, and here’s to the warmer weather to come!

A beautiful sunset tonight at Prospect Park on Providence’s East Side . With 22 properties currently for sale and 3 newly listed within the last month, now is a great time to look at East Side living! With an average sale price of $592 k and a 3 month average ” Days on Market”, buyers with competitive offers can confidently enter the offer negotation process! Rhode Island in general finished 2017 in a place of strength in the real estate world with the number of solds increasing 1.65% for single family homes and a 7% price increase as compared to 2016! The sun may be setting here at scenic Prospect Park tonight but the “tomorrows” look very bright in the lens of RI real estate and this RI born Realtor is loving every minute of it!

What a joy it is to spend the day after the “day of giving” with a client looking at properties within my hometown of Barrington, RI. Despite the frigid December temperatures outside, days spent doing what I love most, helping people in real estate, serves to make that sun feel warmer AND that gorgeous Rhode Island sky appear even bluer. The gift of real estate for me is that people part..the part where I am able to help people engage in what for many is the biggest purchase or sale of their lifetime. A process which is filled with challenges and thoughtful negotiating and strategizing and forethought and one that I engage in fully and whole heartedly. To be able to guide clients through this process is something I find so rewarding and so invigorating! It brings out the athlete and competitor in me as well as the former teacher and psychology major in me! It also is a career that calls upon my year of service with City Year, where each day was devoted to making the lives of others around me better. That in a nutshell is why i “do ” and love real estate…so that I can make the lives of other people better.

These  pictures above,  taken today at Barrington Beach before showing a home adjacent to the beach, are indicative in many ways of our current real estate market. Clear and crisp when priced competitively and swift and rewarding when the sale is viewed as a win on both sides of the transaction. We are seeing more and more of that within the current RI market with competitively priced homes being looked at by a larger buying pool and being sold in a lucrative and timely fashion. Today’s market insight for Barrington, RI reveals a strong end of December climate with 10 new listings ,10 pending sales and 10 recently sold. A median sales price for December of 398k, an average “DOM” or days on market of 79 and 172 properties for currently for sale , reveal a slowly emerging inventory and a competitive market for those looking to sell and buy.

Whether you are thinking of selling or purchasing now or later in the spring it’s never ” too early” to start the process. Getting some winter maintenance tips done now on a home to be listed in the spring is a first step, as is meeting with a mortgage broker to get finances in order or to plan a budget for that spring home you are thinking of buying. Meeting early with a Realtor is also key for those looking to sell or buy in the spring in order to get a sense of price setting , strategizing when to enter the market and how to showcase your home most advantageously  and/or how much you’d like to spend on that next place you will be calling home as well as your “must haves” and location preferences.  As a native Rhode Islander I would love nothing more that to meet with you to start the process. Afterall, it all comes back to the “Why” I am involved in real estate…it’s that helping people part..Happiest of holidays to you and here’s to a wonderful 2018!!!.

The November Market Report just released by Mott & Chace Sotheby’s International Realty indicating a strong finish to the fall! With an increased demand in competitively price homes to a 13.5% median increase in prices of new listings it has been a consistently robust time in RI real estate as of late! With conditions looking to continue for the foreseeable future now is a great time to buy or sell in RI!

https://indd.adobe.com/view/57630df3-ec28-45b4-ae9e-e0753f02cfd4?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email

Warren, Rhode Island. A small community nestled between Barrington and Bristol with easy access to Providence and the West Bay. These pictures taken this morning reflect the inherent beauty within this small town. With a median sale price of $329,900 and a moderate 1.1% change in median listing price, now is a great time to look at homes within Warren, RI! Let me know if you’d like to explore Warren, RI!